The national side will warm up for the forthcoming World Championships in Slovenia with games against the Netherlands in April.

The two teams have had a tremendous rivalry over the last few years and are currently separated by just two places in the IIHF World Rankings – Great Britain are 23rd and the Netherlands are 25th.

The first game will take place at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham on Saturday, April 10, with a 7pm face-off. The following day, the two teams will battle again at Ice Sheffield with a 4pm face-off.

Thompson said: “It’s fantastic for both the team’s preparation and for hockey fans throughout the UK that we are finally going to be able to play two full-blown international games on home ice.

“Our teams are very evenly matched and with both of us looking for high-speed, full-on warm-up games before our respective World Championship groups, these games are going to be fantastic to watch.”